Questions no one ever asks when choosing a market

(4) Will they work with our staff? — In Bulgaria, they don’t run into a lot of women in high-powered positions, or people of color or ethnicity. Will the Bulgarians work with our staff if we have these types of people? Will they work with different cultures freely? How do they look at our culture? Are they really interested in talking to us or they just interested in talking to anyone? How will our staff get along with them?

(5) Do we want to even go there? — This is an obvious question but one often overlooked. Do we really want to go to Bulgaria? Is this a place we’re going to find interesting? Are we going to want to spend time in this country over and over again (which is what it will take to succeed)? Do we want to learn from these people and are we interested in what they have to say? Will we find foods we like, entertainment we enjoy, as well as access to things executives often need, such as communication tools, transportation ease, health care and leisure activities? Is visiting an exciting adventure or a tiresome chore?

(6) Are we interested in these people? — This follows from what was previously said: Are we interested in Bulgaria? Do we care about their culture and history? Are we willing to learn any of their language? Do we have anyone internally that is Bulgarian or knows about Bulgaria? Are we going to spend the necessary time visiting the museums, gathering the literature and tasting the culture?

(7) Are we going to relegate our marketing to the locals? — Are we going to hand over our Bulgarian marketing to the Bulgarians or are we going to work together? This is a great litmus test because the more we abdicate our position, the more we show a complete lack of interest and investment. If we don’t make the effort to work well with a Bulgarian marketer, it’s a great sign that we really just don’t care. In that case, we should think about another country to enter.